Evidence Control and Crew Support in the Post Release Phase of Hijackings in the Horn of Africa: Some Practical Issues

Introduction

Somali hijackings have been at the forefront of maritime security dialogue for over five years. The evolution of hijacking methodologies has become increasingly more complex as both negotiation tactics and the demand for increased ransoms have changed dramatically since 2007. The increased captivity periods have sparked a new series of challenges for ship owners that are often overlooked during the post-release phase, which inherently is the most important.

Simultaneously, the evolution in the nature of negotiations namely from the pirate side has also changed the forensic landscape on board hijacked vessels, making evidence control for the sake of potential criminal prosecutions all the more necessary. This, however, must be balanced carefully with duty of care and preserving the physical and psychological well being of the crew, which must priority.

This presentation drew on operational experiences highlighting the significance of the post-release phase and how forensics, evidence control, and psychological first aid techniques are imperative in increasing the well being of the crew while securing key evidence in potential piracy trials. This presentation mostly focused on a framework devised by the speaker on enhancing both immediate medical care and psychological first aid techniques combined with forensic evidence control, preservation and collection on board.

About the Speaker

Karsten von Hoesslin is the Managing Director of BridgeWing Solutions GmbH, a consultancy specializing in crisis response and extractions specifically in frontier regions and hostile environments. Karsten is trained as a remote environment and tactical medic as well as in post-traumatic stress reduction facilitation techniques and psychological first aid. He is also trained in hostage negotiation, behavioural profiling, and crime scene investigation. Previously, Karsten was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International Law examining maritime crimes and boundary issues in South East Asia. Karsten has assisted in forensic evidence collection and profiling in previous cases, however, his most recent operation involved the largest piracy hijacking case to date whereby he coordinated the marine component of the post- release and safe recovery of the vessel and its crew.